The story follows young Scout Finch, her brother, Jem, and their father, Atticus across three years in a small Southern town. Scout recounts her childhood summers and the arrest and trial of the young black 
man her father represented in court. The man is accused of raping a white woman - and her father (and Scout) take a lot of heat for his representation of him. Throughout the story are the kids attempts - along with their friend Dill - to see their mysterious unseen neighbor, Boo Radley. __________________________________________________________________________
To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) - 2 hrs 11 min
Starring: Gregory Peck, Mary Badham, Phillip Alford, Frank Overton, Paul Fix
Directed by: Robert Mulligan Screenplay by: Horton Foote
Genre: Drama, Coming of Age __________________________________________________________________________
To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) - 288 pages
Author: Harper Lee
Genre: Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Coming of Age, Legal Story
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Harper Lee's book To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic piece of literature read by students everywhere. However, I was not one of those students. It was not on my reading list, much to my regret now. I just finished reading the book and enjoyed it thoroughly. I love Scout's charming point of view and her childhood summers make me wish for times past. Justice, or lack of it, is made so real when looked at from the perspective of Scout and her brother Jem. And the dynamic between the kids and the mysterious Boo Radley is just plain cool in the book.
The movie is great too. A classic. The way some of the scenes are portrayed is dead on. I also love how Scout's narration in the book is carried into the movie. It's great to hear Harper Lee's narrative spoken. The charm of Scout's childhood is effectively portrayed visually in the film. I do like the book better for the simple reason that it portrays so much more than the movie ever could. The "relationship" between the kids and Boo Radley is included in the movie but more fully developed in the book. Because the movie just can't handle it fully, it ends up as a sidestory to the trial instead of a developed storyline all its own as in the book. The movie also couldn't include some of the additional charm of the book - like the storyline with Mrs. Dubose; how the kids feel about Atticus and the Finch family; visiting Calpurnia's church; or how Aunt Alexandra, surprisingly enough, began to have an effect on the lady Scout would become.
Don't get me wrong though, I really did enjoy the movie. The character portrayals were great - especially Scout and Atticus. But I must say (at the risk of sounding like the girl that I am) that the best part about the movie to me was that it brought the book to life so effectively that in parts I was somewhat emotional. It is a powerful story of childhood and race and justice (or injustice) that cannot be ignored. It speaks to so many in book or film form. Awesome! Enjoy both!
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